NEW YORK — Tuesday’s WNBA semifinals went how they were mostly projected to play out: The New York Liberty evened things up against the Connecticut Sun, avoiding a disastrous 0-2 start despite hosting the first two games of their best-of-five series. And in the nightcap, the Las Vegas Aces took care of business against the Dallas Wings 91-84 to go up 2-0. The Aces are one win away from clinching a spot in the WNBA Finals for the second consecutive season and the third time in four years.
In Brooklyn, Game 2 started similarly to Game 1. Connecticut set the tone early and the Liberty had difficulty slowing down a Sun guard, in this case Tiffany Hayes. But this time New York responded with a big run to start the third quarter, forcing Connecticut coach Stephanie White to call two timeouts in the first 5:10 of the second half. The Sun hung around and refused to be put away, but New York kept them at arm’s length and ultimately finished with five players in double figures.
In Las Vegas, the Wings kept the game tighter than in Game 1, when they lost by 14 points. The Aces talked about how hard the Wings made them work, and they know they will get Dallas’ best shot in trying to keep the series alive.But Las Vegas’ A’ja Wilson continued to be the star with her third consecutive game of 30 points or more, something no other WNBA player has done in the playoffs. The WNBA semifinals continue Friday on ESPN2 when Connecticut hosts New York (7:30 p.m. ET) and Las Vegas visits Dallas (9:30 p.m. ET). We analyze what we learned from Tuesday’s games and how the results will impact the semifinals moving forward. ESPN.com
